


It Still Hurts

by RedShirtWriter34567



Category: Fright Night (2011), Twilight (Movies)
Genre: Aftermath of Torture, Cuddling & Snuggling, Late Night Conversations, M/M, Married Life, Vulnerability
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-08
Updated: 2020-04-08
Packaged: 2021-03-01 19:01:42
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,042
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23542021
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RedShirtWriter34567/pseuds/RedShirtWriter34567
Summary: Aro still suffers from pain and visions from Marcus' torture.
Relationships: Aro (Twilight)/Peter Vincent
Comments: 5
Kudos: 46





	It Still Hurts

The bed was too warm. Peter stretched a hand out, feeling around for Aro's smooth, cool skin, but found nothing. He grunted and opened his eyes slowly. The bedroom was dark and quiet, the clock on the nightstand flashing two in the morning. He was cuddling his plush bat instead of his vampire husband. Where was Aro? Peter sat up, stretching his arms over his head, yawning as his joints cracked. He placed his bat up on the headboard and left the bed, slipping his robe on over his boxers. He opened the bedroom door and noticed the light coming from the living room. He walked into the room and froze in the doorway. Aro was sitting on the couch, staring off into space. He had pulled on his pants but was still shirtless, his pale skin gleaming like polished marble. Peter raised an eyebrow. Aro always stayed in bed with him even after he fell asleep. It was very unlike him to just leave their bed so quickly.

"Aro, is everything alright?" Peter asked.

Aro jumped at the sound of his voice and turned around. His red eyes seemed troubled as he scanned Peter's face, as if he were looking for something. His necklace flashed against the skin of his neck as he swallowed, gripping the back of the couch tightly with one hand.

"Everything's fine, Peter," he said, his voice sounding a little off. "I'll be back in a minute."

Peter frowned. Something was really wrong there. Aro almost seemed...frightened. The hunter entered the room further, coming to stand by the couch. 

"Aro, seriously, what's wrong?" he asked. 

"Nothing," Aro almost growled. "Go back to bed, Peter."

He turned away, rubbing at his shoulder absently. Peter crossed his arms over his chest, biting at his lower lip. This was very out of character for Aro. He was always so calm and refined. What had gotten him in such a state? Peter sighed and sat down next to his husband. Aro didn't turn around, almost like he was ashamed.

"Aro, please," Peter said quietly. "If this were me you wouldn't let me bottle this up, yeah? You'd want me to talk to you." He shifted closer, placing a hand on Aro's knee. "Talk to me, love. Please." When Aro still didn't turn around, Peter added, "I'm not going back to bed until you talk to me."

Aro let out a little laugh and turned around, brushing some of his long black hair off his face. He managed a smile as he took Peter's hand, interlacing their fingers. Peter smiled back, stroking Aro's knuckles. Aro licked his lips before he spoke.

"It's nothing serious, my love," he said. "It's just that....ever since I was rescued from Marcus' capture, I still think about the torture, about the drugs he gave me. The visions I saw." His voice was whisper, his eyes flashing with emotion. "They were horrible. So vivid. The pain was like nothing I've ever felt before. He growled suddenly. "When did I become so weak?"

"You're not weak, Aro," Peter said, reaching up and stroking his cheek. "You're the strongest person I know, physically and mentally, but what you went through would mess up even the strongest person." He tucked some of Aro's hair back. "But it doesn't make you weak."

Aro smiled slightly, bringing their joined hands to his lips. He lowered them, but he still seemed upset about something. He'd never gone into detail about what exactly Marcus had done to him, which made Peter wonder what had really happened in Italy. 

"Aro, what did he do to you?" Peter asked. "What happened?"

Aro remained stoic and silent, biting at his lip. Peter shifted closer, pressing himself against the vampire's side. 

"It might make you feel better if you talk about what happened," he whispered. 

Aro licked his lips again, then spoke, his voice low and quiet. 

"He injected me repeatedly with this drug that slowed my powers and prevented me from healing. He used daggers and knives to cut up my chest, whipped me when he lowered me to the floor. The drugs would last for two hours, making the wounds heal slowly. At one point, he gave me blood that had been tainted with something. It made me hallucinate." Aro stopped, gripping Peter's hand tighter. 

"What did you see?" Peter asked gently.

"You," Aro answered, his voice soft. "A vampiric version that accused me of turning you."

"Fuck," Peter breathed. "Aro...I'm so sorry. That's fucked up, and it must have been horrible."

"It was," Aro agreed. "But I kept telling myself that I was fine, but I don't think I am. Sometimes, if I don't keep busy, it creeps up back into my mind."

"Like at night," Peter realized.

"Especially at night," Aro agreed. 

Peter bit his lip. No wonder Aro was out here. Trauma affected people different ways, and some handled it better than others. Aro had probably seen lots of terrible things in the centuries he'd been alive, but being tortured and drugged wasn't something that you forgot so easily or quickly.

"It might not seem like it now, but everything will be okay," Peter told Aro. "Eventually, you'll think about what happened less and less as time goes by. It'll get better in time. And with help."

Aro smiled, and Peter grinned back. They kissed, and Peter pushed against Aro's chest, urging him to lay back. He did, and Peter removed his robe and let it pool to the floor in a black puddle. He grabbed the thick, fur-lined blanket Sulpicia had given to them as a wedding present off the back of the couch and pulled it over them, cuddling into Aro's chest, their necklaces brushing together. Aro hummed and wrapped his arms around Peter, stroking his messy hair. Peter raised his head, and they kissed chastely.

"Thank you, Peter," Aro said, caressing his cheek. "I love you."

"I love you too," Peter replied. 

He laid his head back down on Aro's chest. Aro petted his hair, the motion soothing and familiar to the both of them. Aro felt himself growing more at ease, the feeling Peter's warm skin and soft hair chasing away the last of his troubled thoughts.


End file.
